Analysis of ground thermal potential reduction and thermal interaction between boreholes during operation of ground source heat pump in Moscow city environments

Abstract

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy resource. Nowadays it can be considered as a promising alternative to various fossil fuels. Ground source heat pumps are efficient installations enabling the intensive use of underground energy for heating and cooling of modern residential and commercial buildings. However, climatic conditions often limit the use of this type of installation to a certain extent. This paper presents a description of an existing system comprising a liquid-toliquid heat pump and a geothermal field consisting of 4 boreholes. The system is used to investigate the intensity of ground temperature potential decrease in winter and its recovery in summer in the Moscow city environment with a detailed study of the properties of individual soil layers, as well as to study the mutual influence of boreholes on each other, represented by the conditional radius of thermal influence of individual boreholes. Graphs of soil temperature changes at different depths are presented.